Method for the separation of non-ferrous metal containing particles from a particle stream

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the recovery of non-ferrous metal-comprising particles from a particle stream. According to the invention, the particle stream is put onto a conveyor belt in the form of a monolayer such that with the aid of a liquid, at least the non-ferrous metal comprising particles will adhere to the conveyor belt, and the mono-layer is subjected to a magnetic field rotating in the same direction as the belt, for the separation of non-ferrous metal-comprising particles, yielding the non-ferrous-enriched fraction, and subsequent to which the metal particles that are not nonferrous adhering to the conveyor belt are removed, yielding the non-ferrous metal-depleted fraction.

1. A method for the recovery of non-ferrous metal-comprising particles from a particle stream, yielding a non-ferrous metal-enriched fraction and a non-ferrous metal-depleted fraction, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
 a) putting the particle stream onto a conveyor belt in the form of a monolayer with a liquid, such that at least the not non-ferrous metal comprising particles will adhere to the conveyor belt at least partly due to the action of the liquid; 
 b) subjecting the moist mono-layer on the conveyor belt to a magnetic field rotating in the same direction as the belt, for the separation of non-ferrous metal-comprising particles which are loosened from the moist mono-layer by the action of the magnetic field, yielding the non-ferrous metal-enriched fraction, and 
 c) removing the particles adhering to the conveyor belt from an underside of the conveyor belt, yielding the non-ferrous metal-depleted fraction. 
 
     
     
       2. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the liquid is water. 
     
     
       3. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the particle stream is selected from the group consisting of i) a mixture of plastic and metal, ii) a mixture of salty waste products and a metal chosen from a) magnesium b) aluminum, iii) electronic scrap, and iv) waste products from the incineration of domestic waste. 
     
     
       4. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the monolayer is exposed to the rotating magnetic field at maximally 210 magnetic field changes per second. 
     
     
       5. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the speed of the conveyor belt is <1 m/s. 
     
     
       6. A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising allowing any ferrous metal-comprising particles to fall from an end of the conveyor belt and collecting the ferrous metal-comprising particles.